Francis Petrie is of counsel in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn and is a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. His practice focuses on corporate restructurings, distressed financing, liability management transactions, and other special situation transactions in acquisitions, out-of-court restructurings, and Chapter 11 cases.

His representative matters include: *

• An ad hoc group of lenders in the prepackaged Chapter 11 cases of Cumulus Media Inc. in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

• An ad hoc group of lenders, term loan DIP lenders, and stalking horse bidder in the Chapter 11 cases of Del Monte Foods Corporation in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

• A DIP lender in the Chapter 11 cases of Genesis Healthcare, Inc. in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.

• An ad hoc group of lenders in connection with City Brewing Company LLC’s fully consensual strategic transaction to reduce its debt and secure new capital.

• An ad hoc group of lenders and term loan DIP lenders in the Chapter 11 cases of Ascend Performance Materials Holdings Inc. in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.  During the proceedings, Ascend addressed over $2 billion funded debt obligations in a comprehensive deleveraging transaction.

• Thrasio Holdings, Inc. and 240 of its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Thrasio is the largest aggregator of Amazon brands in the world and, upon exit from Chapter 11, comprehensively restructured over $3 billion of funded debt and preferred equity obligations and injected $90 million of new money financing into the go-forward business.

• Invitae Corporation and certain of its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases and successful sale of assets to LabCorp in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

• Wahoo Fitness, a global leader in smart fitness and training for endurance athletes and fitness enthusiasts, in an out-of-court recapitalization that provided significant liquidity and fully eliminated all of Wahoo’s existing debt.

• BNGL Holdings, LLC as DIP lender and Plan Sponsor to Reverse Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

• BlockFi Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries, an industry-leading provider of cryptocurrency related products and services, in their Chapter 11 cases in the District of New Jersey.  Following disruption in the cryptocurrency industry, BlockFi commenced Chapter 11 to stabilize its business and consummate a comprehensive restructuring transaction to maximize value for its clients and stakeholders.

• Altera Infrastructure L.P. and certain of its affiliates, a leading international midstream services provider to the oil and gas industry, in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases filed in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

• IPC Systems, Inc, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the global financial markets, in a comprehensive out-of-court restructuring. The transaction reduced IPC’s leverage by over $400 million, extended its debt maturity schedule by 5 years, and provided $125 million of new capital.

• Array Canada, a global leader in in-store merchandising services for retailers and brands, and its affiliates in a comprehensive out-of-court restructuring. The cross-border transaction reduced Array’s leverage by more than 50%, increased liquidity, and extended its debt maturities.

• Seadrill Limited  and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, a leading global provider of offshore contract drilling services that employs nearly 3,100 individuals across 15 countries and five continents, in their multi-jurisdictional restructuring of approximately $6.1 billion of funded debt.  Seadrill’s Chapter 11 cases, one of the largest filings of 2021, equitized approximately $4.9 billion of secured debt across twelve silos and facilitated a capital investment of $350 million, enabling Seadrill to continue to operate its modern fleet of drilling units.

• California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. and its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. CPK’s plan received near unanimous approval from all voting classes and allowed CPK to emerge from Chapter 11 in November 2020, reducing its debt obligations by over $225 million.

• McDermott International, Inc.  and 225 of its subsidiaries and affiliates (including 107 foreign domiciled entities) a premier, global upstream and downstream engineering, procurement, construction, and installation company that employs over 42,000 individuals across 54 countries and six continents, in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas. McDermott’s prepackaged Chapter 11 cases were confirmed in less than 60 days and re-equitized the company, deleveraged over $4 billion of funded debt, preserved an unprecedented $2.4 billion in prepetition letters of credit, left trade claims unimpaired, and included a sale of McDermott’s Lummus technology business for $2.725 billion.

• Clover Technologies Group, LLC, a provider of aftermarket management services for mobile device carriers that historically operated as a collector and remanufacturer of printer cartridges, in connection with its restructuring of $650 million of term loan indebtedness. As part of its comprehensive restructuring, Clover sold its printer cartridge remanufacturing business for over $200 million, acquired an additional company for synergies with the remaining mobile device business, and entered into a restructuring support agreement for the equitization of the vast majority of the term loan indebtedness.

• Vanguard Natural Resources Inc. and its affiliates, an independent exploration and production company focused on the production and development of oil and natural gas properties in the United States with operations in the Gulf Coast, Permian and Anadarko Basins, in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas.  Vanguard had approximately $850 million in debt at the time of filing and obtained a commitment for a $130 million debtor-in-possession financing facility, which included $65 million in new money.

• Represented a subsidiary of JDH Capital LLC in the successful purchase of all assets under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Sam Kane Beef Chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of Texas.

• Windstream Holdings, Inc., and its debtor subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Windstream is a leading provider of advanced network communications, technology, broadband, entertainment and security solutions to consumers and small businesses in 18 states. In bankruptcy, Windstream commenced litigation to recharacterize a $3.5 billion spin-off and master lease of certain telecommunications network assets. That litigation resulted in an innovative settlement that provided over approximately $1.2 billion in net present value and billions of dollars of improvement to Windstream’s telecommunications infrastructure. Windstream also confirmed a Chapter 11 plan or reorganization that addresses more than $5.6 billion in funded debt obligations, provides for a $750 million equity rights offering, and positions Windstream to achieve its long-term goals.

• Gastar Exploration Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary Northwest Property Ventures LLC, in their prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Gastar is a publicly-traded oil and natural gas exploration and production company headquartered in Houston, Texas with assets concentrated in the STACK shale play in Oklahoma.

• Mission Coal Company, LLC and its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The company was headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee with coal mining operations in West Virginia and Alabama.

• Cenveo, Inc. and its domestic subsidiaries in their prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Cenveo, Inc. is a leading global provider of print and related resources headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut with a worldwide distribution platform.

• EXCO Resources, Inc., an oil and natural gas exploration, exploitation, acquisition, development and production company headquartered in Dallas, Texas with principal operations in Texas, North Louisiana and the Appalachia region, in its Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. EXCO listed approximately $1.4 billion of funded debt obligations at the time of filing.

• Avaya Inc. and certain of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases. Avaya is a leading multinational technology company that specializes in telephony, wireless data communications, customer relationship management software, and networking. Avaya and its debtor-affiliates had more than $6 billion in funded debt obligations as of the commencement of their Chapter 11 cases, with annual revenues in excess of $3 billion. In 2018, the Turnaround Management Association recognized the successful restructuring of Avaya Inc. with its “Mega Company Transaction of the Year Award.”

Francis earned his Juris Doctor in 2016 from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in 2011 from Columbia University.  After law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Brendan L. Shannon in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Francis is admitted to practice in California and New York and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

*Representations also include those that occurred prior to his association with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

David P. Burns is a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is the co-chair of the firm’s National Security Practice Group, and a member of the White Collar and Investigations and Crisis Management practice groups. His practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, national security, and regulatory enforcement matters. David represents corporations and executives in federal, state, and regulatory investigations involving securities and commodities fraud, sanctions and export controls, theft of trade secrets and economic espionage, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, accounting fraud, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, international and domestic cartel enforcement, health care fraud, government contracting fraud, and the False Claims Act.

David has most recently been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for his work on Criminal Defense: White-Collar matters (2024-2026). David has also been recognized by Legal 500 US in its 2025 guide for his work in corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense. The publication further highlights David as a “Recommended Lawyer” in the area of Financial Services Litigation. Additionally, he has been recognized by Chambers USA – America’s Leading Business Lawyers as a leading White Collar attorney in the District of Columbia for ten consecutive years. Chambers describes David as “spectacular; there’s no white-collar matter he cannot handle,” and highlights his ability to “think strategically to make important decisions in big-picture matters.” Who’s Who Legal and Global Investigations Review (GIR) recognized him as a leading investigations lawyer, deemed “excellent” for his work across “federal, state, and regulatory investigations.” Benchmark Litigation has also named David a “Litigation Star” for 2025, while Who’s Who Legal has recognized him as a leading lawyer in Business Crime Defense. David was named to Lawdragon’s 500 “Global Leaders in Crisis Management” (2025-2026), a list that highlights individuals recognized for their roles in “high-profile trials and oversight of major federal agencies.”

Prior to re-joining the firm, David served in senior positions in both the Criminal Division and National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Most recently, he served as Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, where he led more than 600 federal prosecutors who conducted investigations and prosecutions involving securities fraud, health care fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, public corruption, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act violations, child exploitation, international narcotics trafficking, human rights violations, organized and transnational crime, gang violence, and other crimes, as well as matters involving international affairs and sensitive law enforcement techniques. Prior to joining the Criminal Division, David served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division from September 2018 to December 2020. In that role, he supervised the Division’s investigations and prosecutions, including counterterrorism, counterintelligence, economic espionage, cyber hacking, FARA, disclosure of classified information, and sanctions and export controls matters. He also spent five years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, Criminal Division, from 2000 to 2005.

Saavan Shah is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions and Energy and Infrastructure Practice Groups.

Saav’s experience focuses on transactions and projects in the oil and gas, power and infrastructure sectors as well as general M&A. Saav has broad expertise advising on a wide spectrum of corporate matters, including both cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations, as well as general corporate governance and advisory work.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Saav worked in the London office of another major global law firm.  Saav has also previously spent time on secondment at the Carlyle Group, working closely with members of the CIEP (Carlyle International Energy Partners) fund as well as their general buyout and strategic funds.

Anthony Rose is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and is a member of the Business Restructuring and Reorganisation Practice Group.

Anthony has experience advising financial institutions, private equity sponsors, multinational corporations, directors, and insolvency office holders across a range of complex restructurings and distressed situations.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Anthony worked in the London office of another major international law firm.

Laura Marcus is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Laura earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California. While in law school, she was Vice President of the Real Estate Law Society and served as a Teaching Assistant for Transactional Due Diligence and Business Organizations. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from San Diego State University.

She is admitted to practice law in the State of California.

Stuart F. Delery is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, where he is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and Co-Chair of the Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group and the Crisis Management Practice Group. He is an experienced appellate and district court litigator who brings 30 years of experience at the highest levels of government and the private sector to help clients navigate major matters that present complex legal and reputational risks, particularly matters involving difficult statutory, regulatory and constitutional issues. His practice focuses on representing corporations and individuals in high-stake litigation and investigations that involve the federal government across the spectrum of regulatory litigation and enforcement.

Prior to re-joining the firm in 2024, Stuart served as White House Counsel for President Biden from 2022-2023. As Counsel to the President, he advised the President on the full range of constitutional, statutory, and regulatory legal issues, including on questions of presidential authority, domestic policy, and national security and foreign affairs. He managed responses to high-profile congressional and other investigations, and he assisted the President in nominating and confirming federal judges. Stuart also served as Deputy Counsel to the President from 2021-2022. Throughout his time in the White House, he was deeply embedded in the administrative law and regulatory process, working closely with Cabinet secretaries, agency general counsel, and the Department of Justice on policy development and defending litigation challenging Administration actions.

Stuart also was previously the Acting Associate Attorney General of the United States, the third-ranking position at the U.S. Department of Justice. In that position from 2014-2016, Stuart oversaw the civil and criminal work of five of DOJ’s litigating divisions — Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax — as well as components supporting state and local law enforcement, among others. As a member of DOJ’s senior management team, he assisted the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General in formulating and implementing DOJ policies. Stuart also served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, DOJ’s largest litigating division, where among other things he supervised the government’s enforcement efforts under the False Claims Act and litigation defending Congressional statutes, Administration policies, and federal agency actions. In recognition of his service, Stuart received the Edmund J. Randolph award, considered the Department of Justice’s highest award.

Stuart has extensive experience working for audit committees and special committees of the boards of public companies in a range of industries to conduct investigations of alleged wrongdoing and to counsel clients on compliance and other legal issues. He provides practical advice for responding to an immediate crisis and handling matters at the intersection of civil litigation, government investigations, congressional oversight, and public messaging.

Stuart is recognized by Lawdragon as a Global Leader in Crisis Management.

Stuart is a Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School, where he has taught seminars on The Department of Justice, the President, and the Rule of Law (2024, 2026) and Constitutional Practice: Structure and Norms (2020). He was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University, in Spring 2025.

Stuart received his law degree in 1993 from Yale Law School, where he served as an Articles Editor of the Yale Law Journal. He graduated with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia in 1990. Following law school, Stuart clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Byron White and for Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. 

Matt Benjamin is a trusted advisor and trial lawyer in Gibson Dunn’s New York office. Matt is an integral member of the firm’s General Commercial Litigation, White Collar Defense and Investigations, Crisis Management, and Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Groups. Matt’s practice sits at the cross-section of complex litigation, criminal defense, and crisis management. He also has deep experience counseling prominent individuals and companies in sensitive and often confidential defamation and reputational recovery matters and investigations.

Matt was recognized by Lawdragon as one of 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management in 2025 and 2026.  Matt’s dedication to his clients also has earned him recognition as a leading Criminal Defense: White-Collar attorney in The Best Lawyers® in America‘s 2024 and 2025 guides. 

General Commercial Litigation and Trials Experience

Matt’s litigation practice focuses on high-profile complex commercial litigation and trials. He has represented companies and individuals in technology-focused litigation, including at trial. For example, Matt successfully represented the founders and early employees of the popular dating app Tinder in multibillion-dollar litigation against InterActiveCorp and Match Group, Tinder’s parent companies, in New York State Supreme Court. After a nearly four-week jury trial and days before the case was scheduled to go to verdict, the defendants agreed to pay $441 million to settle. Matt also represented Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg in a high-profile federal breach of contract case brought by Paul Ceglia alleging a significant ownership interest in Facebook. After Matt and the Gibson Dunn team proved the alleged ‘contract’ was a forgery and got the case dismissed as a fraud on the court, Ceglia was criminally prosected by federal authorities.

Matt’s recent litigation clients include BNP Paribas, in a civil class action and six-week jury trial arising out of the bank’s historical activities in Sudan; Churchill Downs Incorporated, in defeating horse trainer Bob Baffert’s lawsuit to force his entry into the Kentucky Derby after having been suspended for multiple failed drug tests; PepsiCo, in a breach of contract action brought by two of its independent bottlers; and Esperion Therapeutics, in a $300 million payment battle in the SDNY against global pharma company Daiichi Sankyo Europe.  

White Collar Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations

Matt has also developed a distinguished practice in white-collar criminal defense and investigations, representing clients in high-stakes investigations and regulatory matters. He has defended companies like Polymarket in criminal and civil investigations and litigation; represented multibillion-dollar online retailer in a bet-the-company internal investigation; represented the Office of the Governor of the State of New Jersey in a high-profile internal investigation related to allegations concerning the George Washington Bridge toll lane realignment in, including preparation of an exhaustive 340-page public report of findings and recommendations; and represented DraftKings in wide-ranging internal investigation, numerous criminal and regulatory investigations, and civil actions related to compliance with federal and state gaming laws, including enforcement action brought by New York Attorney General seeking to enjoin DraftKings from operations. 

Crisis Management and Communications

Clients turn to Matt when they face a media armed with misinformation, often by a competitor. Through a combination of proactive media engagement and litigation strategy, Matt helps clients navigate these high-pressure communications crises.  Given the confidential nature of these reputational engagements, a list of corporate and individual clients is available upon request.

Pro Bono Experience and Board Affiliations

Matt is dedicated to his robust pro bono practice. Most recently, Matt was proud to partner with the Anti-Defamation League to launch an unprecedented, coordinated network of law firms to provide free legal assistance to victims of antisemitism–ADL Legal Action Network, powered by Gibson Dunn.  In addition, Matt partnerned with the ADL, Hillel International, and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law to launch the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), a free legal protection helpline for students and professors on college campuses who have experienced antisemitic violence, hate, and discrimination. Since its founding in November 2023, CALL has received nearly 1,000 incident reports from students and faculty at over 260 college campuses across the country. 

The Federal Bar Council selected Matt to receive the Thurgood Marshall Award for Exceptional Pro Bono Service, recognizing his “extraordinary contribution to public service and persistent dedication to enhancing access to justice for those most in need.” In particular, Matt was honored for his efforts in developing Gibson Dunn’s groundbreaking pro bono programs in support of the Alternatives to Incarceration programs of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Through this program, Gibson Dunn attorneys have provided pro bono civil legal services, including representation in housing, public assistance benefits, immigration, professional licensing, transactional, and family law matters, to dozens of defendant participants in the ATI programs.  Under Matt’s leadership, Gibson Dunn attorneys have expanded their pro bono program to the RISE Court in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

For the last decade, Matt has also represented the family of the late Professor Dan Markel in law enforcement and related matters arising from Professor Markel’s tragic murder. 

Matt has a particular expertise in federal sentencing law and policy. Matt was appointed a non-voting member of the United States Sentencing Commission’s Practitioners Advisory Group, through which the national defense bar provides the Commission with input on a variety of sentencing-related issues, including proposed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and legislative initiatives. Matt was also appointed a member of the Federal Bar Council’s Committee on Sentencing and Alternatives to Incarceration. He has written numerous articles about federal sentencing policy, including in the Federal Sentencing Reporter, and is an annual contributor to the ABA’s two-volume treatise, “Practice Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines,” a comprehensive sentencing resource.

Matt serves on the Board of Directors of Classic Stage Company (CSC), a leading Off-Broadway theater.

Matt graduated from New York University School of Law, where he served as an Executive Articles Editor for the Annual Survey of American Law and research and teaching assistant to Professor Amy Adler. He graduated cum laude from Yale College with a Bachelor of Arts in the History of Art. Matt served as a law clerk to the Honorable George Z. Singal in the United States District Court for the District of Maine.

Matt is admitted to practice in the State of New York, and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Michael Dore is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he is a member of the Media, Entertainment and Technology practice group, as well as the Law Firm Defense and White Collar Defense and Investigations practice groups. Michael is a former federal prosecutor with extensive experience in high-stakes criminal and civil matters across a broad range of practice areas. 

Michael is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® since 2023 in the category of White-Collar Criminal Defense and was named to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports, and Media Lawyers and Global Leaders in Crisis Management guides.

Michael has first-chaired trials and argued appeals on a wide array of issues.  He also regularly represents entities and individuals in connection with federal and state grand jury investigations and prosecutions.  Michael’s significant investigations experience includes internal investigations and externally focused investigations in litigation matters.  He has uncovered fraudulent conduct by opposing parties in several recent matters that helped end the civil matters and became the subject of federal criminal investigations. Michael’s substantive areas of expertise also include defamation, anti-SLAPP laws, securities and accounting fraud, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and issues related to cryptocurrency.  His recent and ongoing representations include:  

Government and Internal Investigations

• Social Networking Company: Represent a large social networking company in a government investigation related to its collection of user data.
• University of Southern California: Represented USC in matters related to the federal government’s Operation Varsity Blues prosecutions charging dozens of individuals with crimes connected to college admissions.
• Biotechnology Company: Represented a company’s Board of Directors in its investigation of a whistleblower complaint alleging misappropriation of trade secrets by the CEO.
• U.S. Elected Official: Represented an elected official in a federal grand jury investigation related to campaign contributions.

Defamation

• Archer Aviation: Represented Archer, a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, in its defense of trade secret claims brought by Wisk Aero. Michael oversaw the prosecution of Archer’s counterclaims for defamation and related torts seeking more than one billion dollars in damages, obtaining a complete denial of Wisk’s motion for summary judgment. The case settled shortly before trial.
• Ashley Judd: Represents Ashley Judd in her lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein for the harm he did to Ms. Judd’s career by defaming her to filmmakers in retaliation for Ms. Judd having rejected his advances. Ms. Judd secured a published Ninth Circuit reversal of the district court on a sexual harassment issue of first impression under California law.
• Tinder Founder: Successfully defended a founder of Tinder against a defamation claim brought by the company’s former CEO, with the federal district court and Ninth Circuit dismissing all claims against him.

Cryptocurrency

• Naomi Osaka: Represent Naomi Osaka in her defense with other professional athletes and entertainers in ongoing putative class actions arising out of the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency company FTX.
• International Law Firm: Represented a law firm in matters related to potential malpractice claims arising from its past representation of a bankrupt cryptocurrency lender, resulting in no complaint being filed.
• NFT Creator: Represented a successful NFT company related to “rug pull” allegations and resulting violent threats from investors.

Media and Entertainment Litigation

• Worldwide Pants, Inc.: Obtained summary judgment, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, on behalf of David Letterman’s production company in its defense of a federal suit over international royalties.
• Television Studio: Defended a major television studio against profit participation claims in an arbitration related to streaming revenues. Michael uncovered deceptive conduct by the claimant and the case settled on favorable terms for the client.

Law Firm Defense

• International Law Firm: Represented a law firm accused of facilitating a criminal scheme to defraud a municipality in a real estate venture.
• International Law Firm: Represented a law firm accused of failing to uncover a real estate investment fund’s loan fraud that caused investors hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

From 2010 to 2015, Michael served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.  A member of the Violent and Organized Crime section, Michael investigated and prosecuted a wide range of federal crimes, including RICO, money laundering, extortion, wire fraud, mail fraud, tax fraud, and crimes against children.  He successfully tried several complex multi-defendant cases against the leader of a foreign organized crime syndicate, members of the Mexican Mafia, and other organized crime figures responsible for murders, attempts to kill law enforcement, and money laundering across five continents.

Michael has a robust pro bono practice that includes numerous matters on behalf of journalists.  He has successfully opposed subpoenas for journalists’ newsgathering materials in several high-profile criminal matters and partnered with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to obtain a judicial finding of factual innocence and a record settlement for a journalist who was violently and wrongfully arrested while reporting on a public protest. He has been published in multiple journals, including the Virginia Law Review, the Marquette Law Review, and the Columbia Science & Technology Law Review, with both trial and appellate courts citing his works. 

Michael received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Amherst College, where he graduated magna cum laude.  He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review. He is a member of the Privacy Law Legislative Committee of the California Lawyers Association.

Ashlie Beringer has three decades of experience representing media and technology companies in periods of transformation and crisis. Ashlie’s practice focuses on defending global regulatory and litigation matters and advising on product, business and compliance strategies, particularly on issues related to disruptive technologies, data, artificial intelligence and online platforms. Ashlie has successfully represented platforms and technology companies in a range of industries in regulatory and criminal investigations before the FTC, CFPB, NYDFS, Department of Justice, and California, New York, Illinois, Texas, Washington DC and multi-state state Attorneys General, while coordinating strategy for parallel regulatory investigations around the globe.

Ashlie returned to Gibson Dunn as a partner of the Palo Alto office, after serving as Facebook’s Deputy General Counsel from 2013 to 2020, where she led the company’s global Privacy, Product, Regulatory and Litigation legal teams. At Facebook, Ashlie was a member of the core management team and successfully defended the company against hundreds of global regulatory challenges and lawsuits, and designed product and business strategies that advanced business goals while earning regulatory approval. She built a global team of more than 180 lawyers and legal professionals worldwide and continually innovated to find working models that promoted collaboration, professional evolution and innovation.

Indicative of her leadership, Ashlie was selected as Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Tech and Innovation Practice Group and Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group. Ashlie actively advises public company Boards on oversight of cybersecurity risks and mitigation strategies and works closely with C-Suite teams on core business and product strategies in a range of industries, leveraging her unique combination of regulatory, business and technology expertise.

Ashlie developed the Art of Product Counseling Method™, which is an innovative model for developing strategic mitigations to address key risks and requirements during product launches and has trained many legal teams on the Method™ in Art of Product Counseling Workshops.

Prior to joining Facebook, Ashlie was a partner at Gibson Dunn where she developed a leading technology practice and played a critical role in shaping the legal and regulatory landscape to enable innovation in new and misunderstood technical platforms.

Ashlie received her law degree from Yale Law School in 1996, where she served as Editor of the Yale Law Journal and was the winner of the Yale Mock Trial Competition. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles, summa cum laude. She served as Law Clerk to Judge Richard Matsch in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Colorado.

Honors/Awards

• Recognized by Legal 500 as the “go-to” for complex regulatory investigations across the US and globally
• Ranked Band 2 by Chambers in Artificial Intelligence – Nationwide (2025), with clients noting that Ashlie is a “go-to for strategic and creative thinking” and “one of the most practical, problem-solving lawyers [they] have encountered in the tech space.”
• Highlighted by Chambers as a key contact in Gibson Dunn’s ranked global multi-jurisdictional Technology, Media, and Telecommunication practice
• Listed as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America by Lawdragon (2023-2025)
• Listed as one of the 100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors by Lawdragon (2024-2026)
• Listed as one of the 500 Leading Litigators in America by Lawdragon (2023-2026)
• Listed as one of the 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers by Lawdragon (2024-2025)
• Named as one of the Women Leaders in Tech Law as part of The Recorder’s California Legal Awards (2023, 2025)
• Identified as one of the Global Data Review’s Top Women in Data (2022)
• Named by The Silicon Valley Business Journal in their annual Women of Influence List, which features “the 100 most influential women in the Silicon Valley” (2021)
• Recognized by The Daily Journal has one of California’s top 100 lawyers (2012)

Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Palo Alto office, where she co-chairs the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) practice, and is a key member of the Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation practice, including as the leader of the firm’s State Privacy Law Task Force. With extensive experience advising companies on AI, data privacy, and cybersecurity issues, Cassandra focuses on strategic product counseling, regulatory compliance counseling, global program development, regulatory enforcement matters (including in connection with the California Attorney General’s Office, California Privacy Protection Agency, and Federal Trade Commission), and complex transactional representations (including assisting companies with targeted assessments in M&A, joint development, vendor and outsourcing agreements). Cassandra advises clients in various industries, including technology, retail, luxury fashion, gig economy, financial, energy / oil and gas, and transportation.

Cassandra’s client work and contributions to the field have led to significant industry recognition. She has been recognized by Chambers Global 2025 as a “Global Market Leader” in their Artificial Intelligence rankings. Daily Journal named Cassandra to their list of Top Artificial Intelligence Lawyers 2024. Law360 recognized her as one of the top five Cybersecurity/Privacy attorneys under 40 in their Rising Stars of 2024 list. The Legal 500’s 2024 ranking of the firm in the Cyber Law (Including Data Privacy And Data Protection) category featured a client testimonial describing Cassandra as “always [] excellent, smart and practical. Appreciate her ability to describe common practice and give advice on reasonable assumption of risk.” Lawdragon named Cassandra to its 2024, 2025, and 2026 100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors list, which highlights “100 stellar players who capture the state of artificial intelligence in the law today, with a side of interesting legal tech.” She was also named as The Recorder’s 2022 Women Leaders in Tech Law list, which honors “the top women attorneys whose recent achievements have contributed to progress at technology companies and in the law.” Euromoney recognized her as a 2022 Rising Star in the Americas for Privacy and Data Protection. And the Silicon Valley Business Journal named her to its 2022 40 Under 40 list, which honors “tremendously impressive young professionals, doing truly ground-breaking work.”

Cassandra is also a prominent thought leader in the fields of AI and privacy. She has served as Chair of the Practicing Law Institute’s annual AI program in 2023 and 2024. At Gibson Dunn, Cassandra plays a key role in publishing dozens of the firm’s client alerts on these topics, including the comprehensive end of year publications Artificial Intelligence Review and Outlook and U.S. Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Review and Outlook. Cassandra co-wrote a chapter on “United States: Artificial Intelligence,” which was published in the Global Data Review Insight Handbook for three years straight. In addition to legal publications, Cassandra provides numerous expert insight quotations and articles for mass media outlets. Her expertise and leadership in the AI and privacy space enable her to stay at the forefront of regulatory trends and legal changes. Cassandra also maintains a significant pro bono practice, particularly in areas related to AI and privacy.

Cassandra is Gibson Dunn’s Palo Alto office Hiring Partner, and Professional Development Committee Member. She is a member of the State Bar of California, a licensed patent attorney, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).

Cassandra received her law degree from the UCLA Law in 2011, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and graduated undergrad with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology, and a minor in Political Science.

Mitchell T. Dost is a corporate associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice Group.

Mitchell has experience representing sponsors in the formation, marketing and operation of open- and closed-end private investment funds across a range of investment strategies, including debt and equity real estate funds and buyout funds. Mitchell also advises on a variety of matters related to private funds, including co-investments, internal sponsor arrangements, secondary transactions, separate accounts and joint ventures.

Mitchell received his Juris Doctor from Queen’s University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in applied economics from Queen’s University and holds an MBA from the Smith School of Business.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mitchell was an associate of an international law firm. As a member of their Corporate Group in Toronto, he advised clients on a range of domestic and cross-border matters, including M&A, equity capital markets, and other structured transactions. He also completed secondments at CIBC and Northleaf Capital Partners.

Mitchell is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the State of Texas.

Jun Qi Chin is an associate in the Singapore office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Financial Regulatory Practice Group. She is currently on secondment.

Jun Qi regularly advises global and local financial institutions and corporates on their financial regulatory and related compliance issues, such as in connection with the expansion of their businesses into Singapore or the introduction of new products and services. She has extensive experience advising banks, fund managers, exchanges, brokerages and payment service providers on a broad range of financial regulatory matters, including licensing and other regulatory engagement processes, conduct and governance obligations and regulatory change projects.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Jun Qi was a regulatory lawyer at an international law firm and was also an in-house counsel at a U.S.-headquartered multinational payment card services corporation, where she advised stakeholders on the launch and deployment of various payment products and services, and on the application of regulatory requirements across the Asia-Pacific region.

Jun Qi is recognized as a Leading Associate for Fintech and Financial Services Regulatory by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

She received her Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 2013. Jun Qi is admitted to practice in Singapore. She is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Cordula Pues is a staff attorney in the Munich office of Gibson Dunn where she currently practices with the firm’s Litigation Department.

She studied law at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and passed her first state examination in 2022. During her legal education she worked for a renowned international law firm in Munich and gained experience in Litigation and Arbitration. After passing her second state examination at the Higher Regional Court Munich, Cordula has been admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwältin) since 2025.

Cordula speaks German and English.

Josh Marcus Moak is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group where he represents private equity funds, institutional and non-institutional investors, developers, operators, lenders, and borrowers in negotiating and structuring real estate joint ventures, acquisitions, sales, developments, and financings. Josh has significant experience in hospitality transactions, with a focus on representing owners and restaurant brands in management agreements, joint ventures, license agreements, and leases.

Prior to joining the Real Estate Practice Group, he served as an independent consultant to real estate developers, food and beverage companies, and private equity funds on growth and turnaround projects, including acquiring distressed and stressed restaurant assets and leases and restaurant curation, sourcing, and negotiations. Prior to serving as an independent consultant, he was the Vice President, Development & General Counsel of the critically acclaimed, global food and beverage company, Momofuku Group, where he led a wholesale restructuring of the business, significant national growth of the restaurant division, equity and debt fundraising, corporate governance, and served as general counsel. Prior to Momofuku Group, he was a corporate restructuring attorney and represented ad hoc groups of hedge funds, private equity funds, large investment managers, and other financial institutions in high profile, complex in-court and out-of-court restructurings and distressed M&A transactions across a variety of industry sectors, with a focus on hospitality, leisure, and gaming.

Josh received his B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, in 2007 and his J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law, cum laude, in 2010.

Josh is admitted to practice law in California and New York.

Shannon Marcum is an Assistant General Counsel in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn. Prior to joining the General Counsel’s office, she was a member of the Firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Shannon has represented borrowers, lenders, private equity funds, developers and operators in a broad array of commercial real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, construction, mortgage (fee and leasehold), mezzanine financing, joint ventures and commercial leasing transactions. Shannon has experience forming and representing limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships and joint ventures, and working with a diverse set of asset classes, including hospitality, retail centers, commercial office buildings, multi-asset portfolios, multifamily complexes, industrial projects, and vacant land.

She has been involved in a variety of pro bono engagements, including advising charter schools and nonprofit organizations in land use, leasing and financing transactions, as well as participating in screening projects for the Innocence Project.

Shannon graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2015, with specializations in both business law and taxation. She earned her undergraduate degree in communications from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2010 and her M.B.A. from Tarleton State University in 2011.

Shannon is admitted to practice law in California and Texas.

Mashoka Maimona is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Transactional Department. She currently practices in the firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group. Her practice encompasses a broad range of corporate and capital markets matters, including representing companies, underwriters, and investors in a variety of public and private financing transactions, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements and ownership filings, and general corporate matters. Mashoka also maintains an active pro bono practice advising non-profits on various corporate matters.

Mashoka graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she served as Senior Editor of the Faculty of Law Review and the Journal of Law and Equality. She has an MSc. in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts (English, Honors) from Carleton University.

Prior to practicing law, Mashoka had a career in journalism, speechwriting, and advising senior government leaders, including a former Premier and Cabinet Ministers in Ontario. Mashoka is admitted to practice law in the State of California.

Sarah Pongrace is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn and a member of Gibson Dunn’s White Collar Defense and Investigations, Litigation, Securities Enforcement, National Security, and Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation practice groups. Her practice focuses on the intersection of law and technology, particularly in the context of civil and criminal enforcement proceedings, internal investigations, litigation, and crisis management.

She has represented clients across a diverse range of sectors, including telecommunications, technology, energy, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and banking and financial institutions. She has experience with fast-paced, high-stakes internal investigations, as well as with all aspects of discovery, including witness interviews and depositions, responses and objections, and document collections, reviews, and productions. She has also advised clients in other regulatory matters, including securing trade licenses and approvals, filing voluntary self-disclosures, responding to administrative subpoenas, and working with clients to improve their compliance programs.

Sarah received her Juris Doctor in 2020 from Harvard Law School, where she served as a Staff Editor of the Journal on Legislation and as a member of the Research Committee for the Women’s Law Association. During law school, she served as an intern for the Peace Corps Office of the General Counsel and worked as a research assistant on topics related to constitutional law, corporate accountability, and educational equal rights protections. Prior to law school, she received her B.A. in history and romance languages from Boston College and worked in education in the Boston area. Sarah is fluent in French and conversant in Italian. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Anna Searcey is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the International Trade and White Collar Defense and Investigations practice groups.

Anna advises clients on U.S. trade laws designed to accomplish a range of foreign policy, national security, and human rights goals, focusing her practice on compliance with economic sanctions, export controls (EAR and ITAR), and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Her experience includes conducting internal investigations and representing clients before numerous regulatory agencies (such as the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, State, Justice, and Homeland Security), including filing voluntary self-disclosures, responding to subpoenas, resolving enforcement matters, and securing licenses and approvals. She also advises clients regarding the development of their compliance and ethics programs and conducts trade-related risk assessments, including supply chain due diligence targeting forced labor risks. 

Anna maintains an active pro bono practice, including to help non-profits understand and navigate U.S. trade controls. She also has experience in immigration-related pro bono matters. Anna has assisted clients in connection with their asylum proceedings and applications for legal permanent residence, as well as representing families that were separated by the 2018 “Zero Tolerance” policy in pursuing Federal Tort Claims Act claims against the federal government.

She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Paula Xinis of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia, where she served as the Notes Development Editor of the Virginia Law Review. Anna also participated in the Human Rights Study Project, interning in Myanmar (Burma) for a non-profit organization focused on promoting the rule of law. Prior to law school, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in International and Area Studies.

Anna is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia.

Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Understanding U.S. Economic Sanctions on Cuba,” Miami-Dade Bar Association’s Florida Law Con (Apr. 12, 2024)
• Invited Speaker, “Global Sanctions Relating to Burma: Current State and What’s Next,” Burmese American Community Institute (BACI), Indianapolis, Indiana (Feb. 9, 2024)
• Invited Speaker, “U.S. Sanctions on Burma: An Overview from a Legal, Political, and Human Rights Perspective,” Asian American Bar Association (APABA) – Indiana Chapter, Indianapolis, Indiana (Feb. 9, 2024)

Publications

• Sanctions considerations for non-governmental organisations, Global Investigations Review’s The Guide to Sanctions – Fifth Edition (June 2024)

Travis J. Gidado is an associate attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. His practice focuses on corporate transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate governance. Travis also maintains an active pro bono practice advising public policy advocates and nonprofit organizations.

Travis graduated from Yale University with a BA in Ethics, Politics and Economics before starting his career with Goldman, Sachs & Co. as a legal analyst. He has an MPhil in Public Policy from King’s College, Cambridge, and a Master of Law in China Studies from the Yenching Academy of Peking University, where he was a Yenching Scholar. Returning to the United States, Travis received his JD-MBA from the University of Chicago Law School and the Booth School of Business (with honors), earning the Ann Watson Barber Outstanding Service Award in recognition of his leadership.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Travis began practicing law at a global law firm, where he was a Private Equity Fellow and received pro bono honors.

Travis is an Associate Member of the Economic Club of New York, a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Fellow of the US-Ireland Alliance. Travis was also named an inaugural Carnegie Ethics Fellow with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

Travis is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of California.

Vanessa is an associate in the Frankfurt office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations, International Trade and Litigation Practice Groups. 

Vanessa advises multinational companies across various industries, including the defense sector, on complex internal investigations and compliance matters. She focuses on risk assessment and mitigation in the areas of export controls and sanctions, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering, as well as ESG-related reporting. Her work frequently involves matters with U.S. touchpoints, including issues relating to U.S. export controls (ITAR / EAR), sanctions, and related trade compliance requirements. Vanessa regularly advises clients on navigating the intersection of EU and U.S. regulatory frameworks and has experience in designing, implementing and evaluating global compliance management systems, particularly in the areas of export control. Her practice also covers representing clients in commercial, civil and administrative proceedings in Germany as well as in institutional and ad hoc arbitration proceedings.

Vanessa studied law at the University of Heidelberg and the University of Luxembourg with a special focus on private international law and international civil procedure law. After passing her First State Examination in 2017, she obtained her Master of Laws degree from Duke University School of Law in 2018 and her doctor’s degree from the University of Heidelberg in 2021.

Before completing her training for the Second State Examination at the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz in 2022, Vanessa was a research assistant and trainee in the Frankfurt and the Washington D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She has been admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwältin) since 2023.

In addition to her native German, Vanessa is fluent in English and speaks French.

She is a member of the German-American Lawyers Association (Deutsch-Amerikanische Juristen-Vereinigung e.V.) and the German-French Lawyers Association (Deutsch-Französische Juristenvereinigung e.V.).